Kildare councillors vote against data centre zoning review
Protest scenes before Monday's meeting of Kildare County Council
THE PEOPLE of Naas turned out in force to protest at plans to build a large data centre that they fear will cause long-lasting damage to the town. Hundreds of concerned locals staged the protest outside the offices of Kildare County Council, which was due to discuss the plans at its meeting yesterday afternoon (Monday).
However, at the meeting councillors went ahead and voted down a proposed review of the data centre zoning, with 22 councillors voting against holding a review, 11 voting in favour, and seven abstaining.
Residents from Primrose Garden, Castle Farm and neighbouring estates had been hoping that councillors would listen to them ahead of the monthly council meeting. The lands, known locally as P2, cover around 54 hectares – about the size of nine Croke Park stadiums – next to homes and next to Jigginstown Castle.
The land was zoned for data centre use under the .
A neighbouring data centre to be built by Herbata Ltd has already received planning approval from the county council, but this decision is under appeal.
“Clean water, clean air, no more data centres here” and “KCC [Kildare County Council], who do you work for?” were some of the chants repeated by the hundreds gathered in protest at Áras Chill Dara in Naas yesterday.
Krystle Foley of the Kildare Data Centre Awareness Campaign told the ***Kildare Nationalist*** that the response from local councillors has been “poor”, adding that they have failed to adequately listen to and represent residents who will be affected by the proposed data centre.
Ms Foley believed that the changing context around data centres and AI means that zoning must be reconsidered.
“We’re in 2026 now and things have changed,” she said. “With the massive explosion of AI, they are not just small data centres anymore – they’re huge energy guzzling, water consuming buildings”.
She continued: “Where the plan is for P2, it’s backing 130 metres onto houses. Can you imagine if you’re opening your windows in the morning and you’re hearing the hum of a data centres, you’re smelling the fumes from the gas turbines … it’s no way for people to live.” Protesters marched all the way up to the front door of Áras Chill Dara before halted being by security staff.
“Shame on Seamie” was one of a number of chants, aimed at Naas councillor Seamie Moore, who favours data centres and who has previously described objectors as “naïve”.
